Cookies: A Windie's Favorite Treat
by Kelly Melly
Summary: This is a place where I will be posting all of the cookies for all of my stories once the stories are finished. Some are sweet, some are spicy...wow, that's strange flavor for a cookie : ...but all are fun! Enjoy folks! :
1. In Which Scarlett Visits Belle: Part 1

You might be wondering why I am posting these whenever "Sur le Mariage" still has one more chapter left...well, it's because the last chapter won't have a "cookie", per-say. I am going to write an epilogue that I hadn't planned on writing, so that will be our "cookie" for the last chapter. So, I went ahead and posted these because...I wanted to, okay! :)

**Also, wanted to note something**: Some people review me and they mention wanting a cookie and when I try to send it to them I can't because their Private Message Option has been locked. If you have noticed that you didn't ever get a cookie from me, please go and check to see if that is the problem. I am really sorry, but there is nothing I can do if you don't unlock these options...I can't even send you a message to tell you to fix your message options! LOL :)

This is the first of a series of cookies that were outtakes for chapters 9-11. They were inspired by a comment that BlaqueCat13 made about Scarlett's whereabouts in chapter 8 of "Sur le Mariage". They are all a bit mature, so be forewarned.

And also, they are a parody so don't take them seriously :)

Special thanks as always to be awesome beta Skyebugs! :)

*~*~*

Scarlett pulled her hood over her head as she entered the establishment. She walked straight to the bar and asked for a brandy. The man looked hesitant at first but Scarlett knew he wouldn't dare refuse her. He knew who she was and he also knew that her husband owned this…place. Denying her could possibly cost him his well-paid job. Scarlett knew that the idea of her going to Rhett and telling him that the bartender at Belle's refused to serve her would not end as this man expected. More than likely the outcome would be Rhett laughing in her face and daring her to go and try again. But the man behind the bar didn't know this and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

As the bartender turned from her, however, she remembered the strong bourbon that she had mistaken for brandy just days before with Rhett. She remembered its burn in her throat and changed her mind at the last minute, asking for bourbon instead. The man looked at her with surprise but changed her drink.

She drank it all in one gulp and her first instinct was to cough it back up. It was just as she remembered it being but this time she forced it down and asked for another. She could already feel its effects, her body warming in that delicious way. She drank another. And another. By her fifth, she was what could be defined as decently drunk. Just enough that she wasn't doing insane, out-of-her-mind things but enough that she could feel that she had had quite enough.

"Billy, take that hat off! I told you that makes you-" Scarlett didn't hear the rest, she was too busy trying to hide her face. Because she knew that she had heard that voice. And she had never wished to hear it again.

Scarlett felt a presence to her right and turned away from it. Knowing that it was the "head lady" herself. Scarlett heard her laugh at a man that she was sure was voicing some very crude fantasies into Belle's ear. Belle's laughter abruptly stopped and Scarlett froze, hoping it was something that the man had said.

Suddenly, Belle's hand reached out and pulled Scarlett's hood back. Scarlett sat there in shock a moment, looking into Belle's bitterly amused face.

"Lookin' for work?" Belle smirked.

Scarlett got up and ran for the door. A man caught her by the elbow, chuckling to her that she was a "pretty little thing". Scarlett's mind was reeling from the alcohol and she tried to hit the man but missed.

"Quincy, let go a' her. She is…taken already." Scarlett looked at Belle with horror written clearly on her face. "Don't wanna keep your man waiting, now do ya?" Belle pulled at Scarlett's arm and started to lead her up the stairs.

"Let go of me!" Scarlett struggled against Belle, her words slurring as she spoke. But Belle was a rather strong woman and Scarlett's resistance was for naught.

Belle threw her into a room and Scarlett landed hard on a settee. There was a darkie standing near the entrance, clearly disturbed by the spectacle.

"Corra, run on over to Captain Butler's and let him know we have something that belongs to 'im." Belle stated to the servant, pointing at Scarlett.

"No!" Scarlett got up and lunged at Belle. She started yelling at her, her words continuing to slur indistinguishably. "You can't! I don wanhim to come! He'll laugh a' me!" Scarlett whined. "I had to getta way from 'im! I couldna stop thinking about his hands…" Scarlett held up her hands, examining them. "I didna know he was mahga…mahga…" Scarlett looked confused.

"Magic?" Belle supplied.

"Yes!" Scarlett said, still looking at her hands. Belle dismissed the servant and turned to Scarlett, a look of bewilderment and curiosity on her face.

"Rhett did magic with his hands?" Belle said, with a look that clearly said 'You are an ignorant ninny'.

"Umhmm…everywhere!" Scarlett rubbed her hands down her sides, looking confused once again.

Belle's eyes lit up with understanding and she burst out laughing. "Rhett did...magic!" Belle laughed even louder, thinking to herself that that was an apt description of what Rhett Butler could "do".

Scarlett was still looking confused. "I wonder how he did it…"

Belle's laughter started to subside, as she pulled Scarlett to the settee again and sat her down. "We have a lot to talk about…"

*****Several Hours Later*****

Scarlett was looking at her lap curiously, thinking about what lay underneath the clothing. "So that is what that's for…"

Belle leaned back, sipping a glass of wine. "Yep." She said. "That's were all the 'magic' lies, darlin'. You want to feel the magic, it has to start there."

Scarlett got up, and started to walk quickly to the door. "Where are you going?" Belle asked, sitting up with alarm at Scarlett's sudden haste.

"I want to test out your theory. I'm going home!" With that, she threw the door open and rushed out. Belle shrugged and kept drinking her wine…


	2. In Which Scarlett Visits Belle: Part 2

Here is the second part of the series of "Belle" outtakes. Again, thank you to BlaqueCat 13. And again, please be forewarned that this little parody is a bit mature.

Special Thanks to Bugsy, of course :)

~*~*~

Scarlett couldn't exactly remember how she got home. She couldn't really take in anything really. Her mind was still reeling with the information that she had been given by Belle. Her mother had never explained marital relations or men like _that…_

Somehow, Scarlett got home. She could briefly recall Mammy meeting her at the door. She remembered some yelling and reprimanding. All comprehensive thought left her, however, whenever she saw her husband standing in the doorway of the dining room. He was leaning against the doorway, his heavy arms crossed over his broad chest. Her eyes traveled down from his chest to his abdomen. She remembered how strong and hard his stomach had felt beneath her hands. Her eyes, of their own free will, traveled lower…Heavens! Everything that Belle said to her that night suddenly had a brand new meaning. She knew that her eyes were surely the size of saucers as she stared at…_Rhett._ Or, she was at least visualizing _Rhett _as she stared at his…umm…nether regions…

Her daydreaming was interrupted when he started to walk towards her. She looked up at his face and he was laughing. Why couldn't she hear him laughing? Oh…now she could. Did he say something? He grabbed her arm and swiftly scooped her up into his arms and started carrying her up the stairs. She grabbed a hold of his neck and held on tightly. In his arms, her senses were suddenly and recklessly awakened and she found herself unconsciously running her hands over his neck, shoulders and arms as they continued to ascend the staircase. She was now acutely aware of every word that he breathed, and every sound he made.

He was laughing. "Scarlett, where have you been?"

She looked up at him, shocked. For some reason she had expected him to know. Somehow, no matter how hard she would try to hide something from him, he always found out. "You don't know?"

"Well…I am fairly sure that wherever it was, there are some very distraught patrons trying to find the liquor. You are sure to have drained the place." He's face scrunched up when her breath hit his nose. "Good God, Scarlett! What _did_ you drink?"

She thought for a moment and tried to speak. "Bo-bon." She said. No, that didn't come out right…perhaps she should try again. "Boooooo-bon." She said. Nope, still not right.

"You drank bourbon?" Rhett laughed loudly. "Scarlett, it is a wonder you can still walk! Only you could have held such a strong drink." If she had not been so drunk, she might have noticed the admiration in his eyes.

But she wasn't looking at his eyes. Rather, she was staring unabashedly at his lips. She was mesmerized by the way in which he formed his vowels and consonants. She noticed that he moved his lips just enough to get the words out, but most of the work was done with his tongue. She wondered if this factored into his incredible talents and…his _magic._

So, she asked.

"Is that how you do it?" She reached up to touch his lips, trying to dig her way into his mouth with her finger. She wanted to examine that tool with which he could do such wonders…

"Wha-?" She had gotten her finger in his mouth and he let her keep it there.

"You make me feel ...tickle-ish feeling everawhere when you kiss me. Does _this _do that?" She stroked his tongue with her finger. Rhett was still laughing but his eyes had darkened under her caresses. "Belle said that it is _all_ about the tongue and what-"

They were in their bedroom now. Rhett placed her on the bed and pulled her finger from his mouth. "Wait. What? Belle? Belle Watling? You were at Belle's!" He started laughing harder at this new information. "What _else_ did Belle say?"

Scarlett was now sitting on the bed and Rhett was standing in front of her. His waist was level with her eyes and she was, again, staring at his…well…

She thought she faintly heard Rhett calling her name, but she couldn't take her eyes away from that _spot. _She remembered what Belle had said about his…what had she called it? His…bits? Something like that… And she was suddenly very curious. Did_ it_ really do all that Belle had said?

Rhett had been calling her name over and over. She seemed distracted by his pants. "Scarlett? Scarlett!" He snapped his fingers. Her hand reached out in front of her and-

Woo! He had not been expecting that! He reacted instantly…

"She was right! It'tis hard!" Scarlett stated happily.

_**To be continued…**_


	3. In Which Scarlett Visits Belle: Part 3

Here is the third and final part of the "Belle" series of outtakes for Sur le Mariage. Again, it's mature, and it's a parody. Thanks to Blaquey for the muse :)

And to Skyebugs, of course... :)

~*~

"Hu…Scarlett…" Rhett croaked. Her fingers were kneading into _him_, making it hard for him to breathe.

Scarlett looked at him but continued her kneading. "Does this feel nice? Belle said thadit would…" she asked with genuine curiosity, looking back at her hand as it worked.

Did it feel nice? If only she knew…

"Um…Scarlett…" Reluctantly, he grabbed her hand and tried to disengage it from his…you know. "Yes…it's very nice. You should go to bed." As much as he would have loved to have Scarlett when she was drunk and newly educated on the finer points of the sexes, he also knew that, if he allowed her to continue what she was doing, she wouldn't look him in the face for weeks once she sobered up.

But of course she had to be difficult, and was unaffected by his obvious resistance to her advances. She did withdraw her hand—good thing too. At least now he could breathe (it was an essential to living, after all.) And think (again, an essential to living…when you live with people like Scarlett, anyway…) However, she did not stop her questioning and…experimenting. In fact, it only got worse…

"Can I see it, Rhett?" Her eyes were full of innocent inquisitiveness, like a child discovering the smallest of wonders.

Holy shhhh-!

_Well…this is painful_, he thought as he glanced down at his suddenly very tight pants. She was already undoing the buttons of his breeches, and he was sure that if she freed him there would be no way to stop himself from proceeding with what would inevitably follow.

"Scarlett, how about we wait until you are sober…" This time he couldn't bring himself to stop her. Luckily she was having trouble with the buttons. The curiosity and wonder were quickly being replaced with frustration as the buttons continued to elude her fingers.

"Damn it, Rhett. They won't unbuddun…" she slurred. He silently breathed a prayer of thanks and with a shaky hand withdrew her fingers from his trousers.

"That's alright. You should go to bed …" She sat up on her knees on the mattress and threw her arms around his neck. Though nothing that she did should have surprised him after that little episode, he was still caught off guard when she started placing small, heavenly kisses down his neck past his collar bone and onto his chest, half-exposed by his opened shirt. God, she had learned all of this in one night? This was getting too hard to fight against, how was he going to stop her this time?

Then, all of the sudden, it clicked in his head. What the hell was he doing? He was Rhett-effing-Butler! And he was trying to get her to stop? When did he grow a code of honor, anyway? Here was Scarlett, the one woman in the world that he wanted more than anything, and she was freely offering herself to him and he was…trying to get her to go to sleep? He nearly laughed out loud at his actions.

Screw this, he thought, returning her kisses.

"Are you going to do magic again, Rhett?" Scarlett said, her words muffled against his skin.

"Oh, yes, Scarlett. Lots of magic." He would let her call it whatever she wanted it to be called tonight. "And for my first act…I will make our clothing disappear…"

Scarlett giggled…

_To be continued…_


	4. You Forgot Someone, Scarlett

This was the outtake for Chapter 12. It was a little idea that tickled at my brain while writing the last part of Chapter 11 of "Sur le Mariage". It's parody-ish and what some would consider mature. Please be forewarned...

Special thanks to the awesomeness that is Skyebugs :)

~*~*~*~*~

Scarlett stopped when she heard someone quietly clear their throat. She turned slowly towards Rhett.

"What?" she questioned causally.

He walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm, causing her heart to jump. "I believe you forgot someone…"

She glared at him and jerked away before walking over to the cradle and kissing her daughter's cheek. She glared at him once more before she headed for the door.

Rhett's quiet laughter stopped her again. "That's not who I was referring to…" His fingertips softly caressed her arm from the inside of her palm up to her elbow, sending shivers down her spine. He grasped her arm gently and tugged her towards himself, dipping down so that his lips barely touched her ear.

"Would you like to hear an unlikely truth or a believable lie?" He was stroking both arms now, slowly guiding her closer to him as he inched out the door.

"I—ah—", Scarlett couldn't speak. His warm breath beckoned her closer. Rhett laughed seductively again.

"Alright," He said. "How would you like it if I chose instead?" He tapped her forehead with the tip of his nose playfully, and suddenly she was pressed up against the wall on the other side of the hall from the nursery. She could see that the door was shut from over Rhett's shoulder. She was sure he had done it.

How could he think about so many things and…_do_ so many things at once?!

"How about I give you both options and you guess which one is which? Hmm?" Scarlett dreamily nodded. She was like putty in his capable hands now. He could have done whatever he liked…she wondered if he knew it.

He did.

He slid her slowly up the wall, grasping her from under her arms, until her feet were well off the floor. She grasped his collar tightly, folding into him. He pressed his body against hers as he wrapped his arms around her torso. He leaned in to whisper to her again.

"I thought I would die tonight, I was so worried about you." He gently kissed her earlobe, then slightly grazed it with his teeth. Scarlett's breath hitched and she leaned into him. "Would you like the next?" She barely nodded. Rhett smirked, and tilted his head back until he was looking into her eyes. "More than anything in the whole world, I want you. Right now." He kissed her.

He _kissed _her.

And she kissed him back. She grasped his hair and pulled roughly as he brought her to her feet, running his hands up and down her waist. He swung her up into his arms before carrying her into some random room across the way and depositing her on top of a…table? She wasn't sure. Rhett broke their kiss and smiled at her. She was sitting on the table, and he slid her closer to him, positioning himself between her legs.

"Well?" he said. She smiled up at him as well.

She grabbed the front of his coat and said, "Well, what?"

"What was the truth and what was the lie?" He asked, pulling the pins from her hair.

"Well, the part about you being worried was the lie, of course." She said seductively as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

He stiffened. Scarlett leaned back and looked at him. "What?" she said, a little worried.

He looked at her, an apology in his eyes. "My dear, I am afraid you are wrong." She pulled back a little more, looking appalled. "You see, the _truth_ is that I was worried to death about you. And…" she was seething now, "what I really want more than anything in the world is some of Cook's Chocolate Cake…"

Scarlett's face blanched before it turned a (ironically enough) scarlet red. She huffed as she tried to jump off the table. She didn't care if she ever saw his face again…

Rhett grabbed her around the waist with one hand and caught her face with the other. Before she could started screaming he finished with a smug grin. "…_and_ you."

He glanced over her shoulder. She turned around to see what it was he was looking. It was then she realized that they were in the Upstairs Sitting Room.

And there was a whole cake. Cook's Chocolate Cake, sitting on a smaller table in the middle of the room.

And there were no plates…

~*~*~*~*~


	5. After

Here is the cookie for Chapter 13 of "Sur le Mariage". It is actually an outtake from the book GWTW. Please note that the italicized part at the beginning is an excerpt from GWTW and I claim no ownership of the material. I am just borrowing, as I am with everything else...

Special thanks to Bugsy! :)

~*~*~*~*~

_"You turned me out on the town while you chased him. By God, this is one night when there are only going to be two in my bed."_

_He swung her off her feet into his arms and started up the stairs. Her head was crushed against his chest and she heard the hard hammering of his heart beneath her ears. He hurt her and she cried out, muffled, frightened. Up the stairs he went in the utter darkness, up, up, and she was wild with fear. He was a mad stranger and this was a black darkness she did not know, darker than death. He was like death, carrying her away in arms that hurt. She screamed, stifled against him and he stopped suddenly on the landing and, turning her swiftly in his arms, bent over and kissed her with a savagery and a completeness that wiped out everything from her mind but the dark into which she was sinking and the lips on hers. He was shaking, as though he stood in a strong wind, and his lips, traveling from her mouth downward to where the wrapper had fallen from her body, fell on her soft flesh. He was muttering things she did not hear, his lips were evoking feelings never felt before. She was darkness and he was darkness and there had never been anything before this time, only darkness and his lips upon her. She tried to speak and his mouth was over hers again. Suddenly she had a wild thrill such as she had never known; joy, fear, madness, excitement, surrender to arms that were too strong, lips too bruising, fate that moved too fast. For the first time in her life she had met someone, something stronger than she, someone she could neither bully nor break, someone who was bullying and breaking her. Somehow, her arms were around his neck and her lips trembling beneath his and they were going up, up into the darkness again, a darkness that was soft and swirling and all enveloping._

~*~*~*~*~

Scarlett softly moaned in contentment. Rhett's dark head was buried deep into her neck, and though the climax of their night had already come, Rhett continued to nuzzle her violently. His lips continued to stroke her skin in ways that she had never known. His coarse, breathy voice continued to whisper to her utterances that were more than mere words. It was a language only her body seemed to understand.

_Oh God, _she thought. Complete. It was the strangest feeling to feel, here in this hazy darkness after such wonderful, glorious things had happened. In fact it was strange now to feel anything that wasn't savage and raw. But here she was, dizzy with the after effects of something that she had never dreamed existed, feeling for the first time completely whole.

As Rhett's ministrations slowed, Scarlett's breathing calmed and peace overcame her. Who knew that such aggressive actions could cause such an overwhelming calm? She felt as if all of her passion and fervor had been vacuumed tightly within herself all her life. All of her anger, fear, pain, happiness; it had all been saved to expend on this one night.

And a relief like she had never known had taken their place.

Rhett slowly lifted his head and looked at her. She looked back at him and there were no words for the emotions that passed between them. They simply stared at each other. Rhett's hands were wrapped firmly in her hair, and he gently massaged her scalp. Scarlett knew that years before, when they were still a truly married couple, he had done this to her often. She couldn't fathom how she could have overlooked the magnificent feeling of his hands in her hair. She closed her eyes, a soothing pleasure rolling through her body. She moved slightly beneath him and he groaned softly.

He felt it too.

She opened her eyes. He was still looking down at her, an expression that her dizzy, unsure mind couldn't conceive. She reached up and touched his face, wanting to feel his skin on hers. She gently pulled him down to herself, and kissed him softly. Slowly.

As she kissed him, she thought about the fact that she had never known a kiss like this. She had experienced kisses of friendship, and kisses of passion. Rhett had indeed shown her kisses of ardor and kisses of hostility. Later she imagined that it would amuse her that she thought of the novelty of such a slow, heavy kiss on such a violent, wild night. And yet, she did. And she didn't know why.

Perhaps it was because it was like a confirmation: of the most wonderful night she had ever experienced, of the fact that it was all real, of something that only in this swirling ecstasy she would have even imagined… Perhaps it was because it was impossible to believe that there was anyone in the world but him when his lips moved with hers; slowly, lazily. Feeling like this, it was impossible to believe that there was a world outside of this bedroom…this bed.

He pulled away first. She silently begged him to stay. Her voice never once uttered the words, but she begged him to stay close to her. And as if he could read her thoughts, he nestled against her again, drawing her close to him. She wrapped herself around him and for the first time that night she wondered what tomorrow would be like.

She would think about tomorrow, tomorrow…

But tonight, it looked promising…

~*~*~*~*~

This was, ironically enough, one of the hardest things I have ever written. I wasn't expecting it to be so hard! :) But I enjoyed it! I never could imagine that they did the deed like Scarlett described and then…nothing. That would be unbelievable. I have always imagined that Rhett simply forgot everything because he was so wasted, and that was the reason that he was so terrified. He didn't know whether she hated him or what, you know? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it :) Let me know what you think… I will probably eventually post this one on its own. After I have tweaked it some more…not completely satisfied with it yet though…

And yes, that last line…it killed me too :( It was promising…SO promising and they ruined it!

Thanks again to Bugsy! She did edit this one…she is awesome like that :)


	6. Waiting

This was the Outtake for Chapter 14 of "Sur le Mariage". It has some strong language and adult situations, so please be forewarned. My first, and maybe one of my last, real attempts and Rhett's POV. Enjoy! :)

Special thanks, as always, to Skyebugs for being my amazing beta! :)

~*~*~*~*~

He watched her change clothes, his blood shot gaze trailing over every inch of her body. There was no lust in his gaze. No tenderness. His eyes sparked with cupidity. _She is mine,_ he thought possessively as he gripped the chair. _Not his, she is mine._ He had repeated that same mantra to himself over and over again throughout the night, as he drank himself into oblivion.

And he hadn't stopped. She was _his_. He had waited for years for her to be his, and he was hard-pressed to give her up now to some delusion. He watched her as she donned a hideous cream-colored dress with a grandiose pattern of fake roses going trailing down the side.

She was such a fool.

A pleasurable heat burned in his chest. Yes, it helped to insult her. It always had. To admit that she was a fool and an idiot—a heartless, monstrous creature hiding within an angel's form—had always soothed him. By constantly admitting her faults to her and himself, he was able to convince himself that her blindness wasn't entirely her fault. That if she were cleverer, smarter, more inquisitive, she would see the truth. He rolled his eyes. My God! Even he wasn't so blind that he couldn't see that his insults were a defense for her. Even if he were to ever outright call her a cold-hearted bitch, which is exactly what she was, he was only admitting it as if to say, 'She can't help the things she does and thinks. She's just a bitch…'

She struggled with the buttons of the dress, which were on the side. According to her, they were "so fashionable". He imagined he should help her, but he couldn't bring himself to touch her right now. Not when he knew that the 'god of her soul' was so near to her thoughts.

He had always thought that if she could just be his, it wouldn't matter. Even if it were only on paper and legal. If she belonged to him, he would be satisfied with that. He had thought that nothing could be worse than what he had to endure for the past few years. The pure avidity he had felt every time he saw 'Kennedy' at the end of her name had raked his soul over the coals. He had thought that he could live with her loving another man, but belonging to him. He had been so sure that he could change her mind with his tenderness and his…"skills".

He cringed in mortification. His "skills" hadn't been very handy, for the mere fact that he couldn't seem to…hold out long enough to…'charm' her. He wanted to slam his fist into a wall. A brick wall. If only to prove to himself that he was still a man. He, Rhett Butler, the man known for his cavalier and audacious ways in bed, was minimized to that of an adolescent boy when he tried to make love to his wife.

Dear God, it was embarrassing. Thank whatever higher being there might be that she was too naïve to realize it. He gripped the chair again. But, Christ help him, if seeing her lying in his bed, knowing that she was his wasn't the single most erotic thing that he had ever seen. He had never been so aroused as he had been these past few weeks. Some nights he couldn't even initiate foreplay. Sometimes he could feel that the mere thought of being inside of her delicate little body was enough to push him over the edge prematurely, and he could never allow that to happen.

_Oh look, _he thought, _there is a hat to match!_ The hat she put on lay lopsided on the side of her head, lined with those fake-fucking flowers, just like the rest of her costume. That's all it was, all any of it was. This entire farce could be summed up within the pattern of that ridiculous dress.

Fake.

And he always accused her of living in a fantasy land.

She was leaving now, going to spend more of his money on atrocities like what she was wearing. "Have fun mingling with the mules, my pet." He said, reaffirming to her and himself that she was his. If he had to reduce her to that of a pet to make her realize that she wasn't anyone's but his, he would…

…So long as it never disclosed that he was unequivocally, entirely hers. He felt his face fall, tenderness sweeping through his chest where the anger had been just moments before. As she passed by him, her perfume tickled his nose and he savored it, as a starving man would his last piece of bread. God, how he loved her…and how he hated her.

The thin line that lies between the two emotions was so vague…

She didn't look at him and she didn't speak to him as she marched past him, playing perfectly the part of a wounded, mistreated wife. And why shouldn't she! Her husband had gone gallivanting off last night to some god-forsaken place, while she, the dutiful and loving wife, had been left alone and starved for affection.

_Well that's not an entirely fair assumption, Scarlett,_ he thought bitterly, the anger building within him again. _It isn't as if you were here last night either. You were off in your own little fairyland with that dim-witted fucker. Running through fields, breathing the fresh air and picking fucking daisies… _He almost laughed out loud at the image.

His head suddenly pounded. Damn…he was so drunk. He sprawled out across the bed, and fell asleep waiting for his wife to come home.

He was always waiting for her…


	7. His Greatest Adventure

This was the cookie for Chapter 15 of "Sur le Mariage". It is a little fun one-shot of an older Rhett and Scarlett, especially requested by my awesome beta Skyebugs :)

Enjoy :)

~*~*~*~*~

Rhett and Scarlett Butler stood on the deck of the ship hand in hand and waved at their family below as the boat started to drift from the dock.

"Goodbye, Bonnie and Ella…Kat! Wade and Ken, goodbye! Ken…don't do that to your sister!" She screamed with laughter as her eighteen year old son heaved his twin sister onto his back. Bonnie and Ella tugged at Cat's skirts trying to coax her down, aware of the eyes of the patrons around her. Bonnie's husband laughed and motioned for her to take the child that was in his arms as he tried to calm the small infant in the bassinet before him, as Ken started to jump up and down with his sister in his arms. She squealed happily. Ella leaned away from her sibling's playful fun and into the arms of her husband, Beau Wilkes. He wrapped his arms protectively around her waist, laying his hands gently on the tiny, non-existent arch that cocooned the new, little life inside. Wade stood next to them in his full West Point decoration. They were a strange group, and many that passed by them looked at them all as if they were mad.

Perhaps they were…

Rhett laughed merrily at the sight of his family and Scarlett looked at him with delight in her eyes. "What do you find so funny, Rhett Butler?"

He smirked at her. "I was just thinking that the apples don't fall far from the trees, now do they?" He leaned down and kissed the end of her nose.

She grinned. "I suppose you would know. After all you did turn out to be _so much _like your own father. Humph…" she said, waving once more at her motley crew before turning on her heel and dancing her way towards the rooms. Rhett followed her.

"I was the exception, I think." He raced up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She giggled. "But would you have me any other way?" He whispered seductively into her ear.

She turned in his arms and eyed him. Her intentions were clear as she led him towards their rooms. "Indeed, no. How boring life would be if you weren't the dashing, adventurous man who runs off with his wife to Europe any time she wants?"

"All too boring, my dear." He allowed her to lead him through the doors.

~*~*~*~*~

"I love when we go on adventures like this. Don't you, Rhett?" She looked at him happily, the sunlight shining in her eyes as she leaned over the side of the ship. She was now over forty, but she could see by the look in his eyes that she was the exact same to him as she had been when he first met her.

He wasn't looking so bad himself, she thought. He was a little grayer at the temples. He had a few more laugh lines around his eyes. But he could still charm the skirt off a girl. She should know…he did it to her quite often.

How foolish she had been when they first met! It had taken so much for both of them to find each other. They were both so terribly stubborn. And because of their stubbornness, they had almost lost their twins, Ken and Kat. Rhett had gone away and while he had been gone with Bonnie, Scarlett had found out that she was with child. When he came back, they had been so distant to one another and they had ended up fighting. She had almost fallen down a flight of stairs, but he caught her. As he often did.

Everything had changed after that. And she was so glad it did.

Rhett was everything that she had always wanted and never found. In her older age, he was exactly what her vanity needed. Now, when men's eyes were more drawn to younger women, his stayed firmly on her. He still treated her like the belle of the ball. He was her everything. And she knew that she was his as well.

But often, she was afraid that he was getting bored. In his younger years, he had done so many wild, wonderful things. She feared, more than she cared to admit, that she was dull to him. That he wished for more from life than the 'everyday'. That was why she so often suggested these trips. She never wanted him to get sick of his life with her.

She never wanted him to get sick of_ her_.

They walked hand in hand back to a pair of deck chairs and both settled into them comfortably. "Yes, Scarlett. I love these trips. I am glad you suggest them, darling." He looked at her indulgently, and her heart sunk. Perhaps he was getting tired of these trips with her, as well? Perhaps he wanted to go away…alone? She imagined waking up without him beside her as she had for so many years and fear seized her heart again. She pushed it aside.

"Rhett, tell me one of your adventures!" She said excitedly. When he talked of his old life, a spark came to life in his eyes. She never wanted him to lose that spark. She definitely didn't want to be the reason he did. "Tell me your greatest adventure!"

He leaned his head back and laughed lightly. "My greatest adventure? I am sure that I have told you all of my adventures, Scarlett. Every last one. Fifty times or more." He turned his head and looked at her, a smile on his face.

"Well…I still want to hear it. What was your most daring adventure, Rhett?" He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and turned his face back towards the sky.

"Well…once when I was about, oh, I'd say thirty-three years old, I was speculating with this man from Georgia." Scarlett settled in, ready to hear the story. It sounded unfamiliar, which excited her and made her a little nervous at the same time. "During the time that we were to engage in our business dealings, he was invited to a grand party at one of the neighboring plantations. Naturally, being an upstanding Southern Gentleman, he invited me in spite of my less than savory reputation. I accepted the invitation, in the hopes that I would be able to finagle one of his neighbors into a deal as well." He paused and looked at her again. He was obviously amused, and she wondered if there was something that she was supposed to know about this story that she didn't. Some hidden, cryptic joke that she had yet to discover. When she said nothing, he continued. "And while I was there, I met this girl." She sat up a little straighter. Jealousy ignited in her chest. A girl? Who could he have possibly met? "And after that day, my entire world seemed to revolve around this little vixen, who I found in a library proclaiming her undying love for the man of the house. She later threw a vase at me." He sighed, a look of adoration on his face. "Ah yes…that's when I knew it was love…"

Scarlett slapped him on the arm as hard as she could which prompted him to laugh. "Rhett…I can't believe you are mocking me!" She sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. The cad…

His laughter continued unabated, in spite of her outburst. "Scarlett, I thought you asked me to tell you my most daring adventure?" His laughter died down and he reached over and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Darling," his smile was all but gone now. "I know why you always suggest these trips. And it's not necessary."

She jerked her chin from his hand, "Oh you do, do you? And why exactly do I ask to go on these trips?"

"Scarlett…I will never get sick of you and our life together. I don't need adventure to keep me happy." She felt shocked for a moment, but it soon dissipated into acceptance. She should have known he knew her intentions. He always seemed to know…

He got up from his chair and knelt in front of her, taking her tiny, white hands into his massive, dark ones. "Darling, you asked me to tell you my greatest adventure and I did." He looked at her, that gleam that continued to send waves of warmth throughout her body even after all these years was shining brightly within them. "_You _are my greatest adventure, Scarlett.?"

She smiled softly at him, and wrapped her arms around him. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto his clean, crisp linen. He pulled her away from himself so he could pull out his handkerchief. Nostalgia washed over her as she looked at him and wiped her eyes.


End file.
